Funeral homes, crematories and hospital morgues overwhelmed

Funeral homes, crematories and hospital morgues are experiencing an overwhelming number of bodies because of the recent COVID-19 surge in the Central Florida area.

And officials say it is getting worse.

Emergency managers at AdventHealth Central Florida received an email Thursday, Aug. 26, that confirmed what many hospital staffs suspected.

"The Central Florida Division of AdventHealth has reached capacity of our hospital morgues due to an influx of COVID-19 patients," the email stated. "We have begun utilizing rented, refrigerated coolers at 10 of our campuses throughout Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties.”

The email also stated the coolers the facilities are using are becoming filled quickly.

Regional hospital disaster coalitions have been contacted, and a request for assistance has also been forwarded to the Florida Hospital Association, according to the email. However, the organization has received no disaster declaration from the state. That means assets such as the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System currently are not an option. 

AdventHealth officials said they believe the back-up is because of the slowdown taking place at local funeral homes, which is “causing us to hold decedents for a longer period of time.”

Fred Springer, owner of West Side Crematory in Winter Garden, said in this month alone, he has received 229 bodies and has at least 60 more scheduled for August. The crematory has a staff of three, including one employee who just started this week to help with the overwhelming business. 

"There is no longer room for the funeral homes who are trying to bring in bodies," Springer said. "We have people desperately calling us and begging for space. I don't want to turn anyone away, but we have bodies piled from the floor up, and I can't even get to my paperwork without having to move some things around."

In August 2020, Springer said he processed 220 bodies; in August 2019, he handled 169. 

Springer said the cremation process takes up to two hours per person, more if the person is larger, and that he hasn't had a single day off this month. 

"The only people who can really help us are government officials," Springer said. "The rest of us have our hands tied and are at the governor's mercy." 

According to the current Florida Statutes, a body "may not be held in any place or in transit (more than) 24 hours after death or pending final disposition unless the body is maintained under refrigeration at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below or is embalmed or otherwise preserved in a manner approved by the licensing authority."

"Doctors think that they are doing a proper thing, and I know they are doing what they think is right, but when they say COVID is the cause of death instead of a contributing factor, which is far more likely, they slow the whole process down," Springer said. 

The Metro Crematory in Ocoee declined to comment. 

DeGusipe Funeral Home and Crematory did not respond to request for comment.